Get Involved, Get Engaged, Come Together and March

Thursday, January 12th, 2017 by Erin Ryan

During President Barack Obama’s Farewell Address on Tuesday evening, he highlighted one of the most important pillars of our American democracy: civic engagement. He spoke of the need for citizens to take part in the democratic process by engaging in real, substantive conversations about issues with those that may disagree with us, participating in organizing efforts to fix a problem in our community, or even running for office ourselves.

Reminiscing on his time organizing with faith groups in Chicago when he was in his 20s, President Obama shared that, “this is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.” These words especially resonated with me as a new presidential administration – one which threatens the equal rights of women, minorities, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized groups – will enter the White House in the coming days.

Those concerned with how to continue to advance progress and change for women under this new administration can do just as a young Barack Obama and organizers in Chicago took part in all those years ago: get involved, get engaged, come together and march. Around the Inauguration, tens of thousands of advocates, allies, organizers, and concerned citizens will mobilize for a Women’s March on Washington or join Sister Marches in cities across the nation. Marchers will demonstrate with a collective voice that they plan to work together to move change for women in the right direction and demand that women’s rights are not left behind under the new administration.

You can get involved in one of the marches too, and become one of those engaged citizens President Obama underscored as a necessity to the future of our democracy. Here’s the information you need to participate in a Women’s March:

The momentum from this movement cannot stop at the conclusion of these marches. We must remain engaged and active around policies and legislation in Ohio and DC that impact women. Sign up for Innovation Ohio’s alerts: